Quite frequently saints have left their home country and died in another country, but most of them died in a foreign land because they left to serve as missionaries to Asia, Africa, or America.
The land of Hungary, however, has seen a few saints depart because they were of royal families, including St. Elizabeth of Hungary, who went to Germany to be married, and St. Margaret of Scotland. They lived virtuous lives, loved the poor, and made heroic sacrifices. Thus they became saints.
Margaret’s parents were heirs to the throne of England around the time of 1016 when King Ethelred died. The royal family was forced to flee when the Danes invaded England and controlled the throne for many years. With the end of Danish rule, St. Edward the Confessor was crowned king in April 1043.
Meanwhile, Margaret’s father, Edward the Exile, was also forced into exile in 1016. Edward and his brother were sent to Sweden by the Danes with orders that they be executed, but they managed to get to Hungary after escaping to Kiev.
While in Hungary, Edward married Agatha, a Hungarian princess. Margaret was born in Hungary in 1045 while her parents were under the protection of the royal family, most likely in Castel Reka in Mecseknadas. In 1046, Edward the Exile, a loyal friend of Andrew, backed him in his successful bid to gain the throne of Hungary after his father, St. Stephen of Hungary, had died in 1038.
Margaret’s brother, Edgar the Atheling, and her sister, Cristina, were also born in Hungary. The family stayed there until St. Edward the Confessor, having regained the throne, recalled Edward the Exile to England.
Edward finally decided to return to England in 1057 with his wife and children. Sadly, Edward died shortly after their arrival in England. Agatha and her children resided in London at Edward the Confessor’s court until 1066 when William the Conqueror invaded England. At that time they planned an escape to the continent and set sail from Northumbria, but a storm blew them off course and they landed in Scotland, a place which became popularly known as Margaret’s Hope.
King Malcolm III of Scotland then took Agatha and the children under his protection, settling them in Dunfermline. (Dunfermline later became the royal residence and special burying place for the kings of Scotland.) Some historians believe that he probably met Margaret and her family during their sojourn in London. Malcolm, a widower with two sons, Doland and Duncan, fell in love with the serene and statuesque Margaret and proposed to her.
Margaret demurred because she wanted to become a religious. Her faith had become very deep through her exposure to the holy court in Hungary, influenced by St. Stephen of Hungary, and the court in England, led by the holy St. Edward the Confessor. Margaret therefore desired to become a religious. Nevertheless, she finally agreed and married Malcolm in 1070.
Together they had eight children: Edward (1071-1093) who was killed in the Battle of Alnwick; Edmund of Scotland (1071-1097); Ethelred who served several monasteries as abbot in Scotland; Edgar of Scotland (1074-1107) who reigned from 1097 until his death. Alexander I of Scotland was born in 1078 and was king of Scotland from 1107 when Edgar died, until April 23, 1124.
Edith of Scotland (1080-1118) married King Henry I of England and her sister Mary of Scotland (1082-1116) married Count Eustace III of Boulogne, just south of Calais, France. Finally, David I of Scotland (1083-1153) served as king from 1124 until 1153.
Margaret, a gentle and pious woman won the heart of her husband whom she deeply loved. Commentaries about her give very little information about her physical appearance because her inner beauty was so overpowering. Her husband’s devotion to her led him to mount several attempts to win back Northumbria for her brother. These attacks were unsuccessful, however.
Margaret’s virtue became known wide and far with the spiritual guidance of Lanfranc, who later became the archbishop of Canterbury. She possessed an advanced education and read the Sacred Scriptures in Latin. She also had available the works of the saints such as St. Augustine of Hippo. Lanfranc led the reform of the Church in England while she labored to improve the conditions in Scotland.
Under her influence, the Church in Scotland, which had been heavily influence by Celtic pagan practices, became more in line with the liturgy and devotions of the continental Church. The people also made an effort to learn more about the doctrines of the Church because Margaret led such a wonderful life.
Margaret loved the Scottish people and would spend hours outdoors to make herself available to them and to hear their concerns. Near Dunfermline she would sit on a stone so that all could approach her, especially children.
The poorest were held in high regard and she placed their needs above her own. When nine orphans were brought to her, she placed them on her knee and fed them herself. Thus, Margaret never considered any of her wealth or possessions as her own, but only as gifts of God that she was to use for the benefit of the people.
The king could not read, and he was not very pious, but he loved Margaret so much that he would kiss her devotional books. He had some of them covered with precious metals and beautiful jewels to show his love for her.
Toward the end of her life, she and her husband lived in the Castle of Edinburgh. In order to please God, and for the welfare of both her family and her people, Margaret spent long hours in prayer. Her fasting and sacrifices may have been the cause of her becoming so weak when she was not yet 50 years old.
In 1093 Malcolm and their oldest son, Edward, left the castle for the Battle of Alnwick. Both Malcolm and Edward were killed in the battle. Margaret received the tragic news with outward calm and surrender to God’s will. She died just a few days later, leaving a nation grieving at such great loss.
She was buried in Dunfermline and was canonized by Pope Innocent IV in 1250. During the violence of the Protestant Reformation, Margaret’s remains were desecrated and dispersed. Her head was saved and taken to France. Once again, during the French Revolution, however, her remains were attacked and lost.
In 1250, Pope Innocent IV canonized Margaret. She is the patron saint of Scotland and her feast day is November 16.
Dear Margaret, by your holiness and your open arms you won over an entire nation to follow the teachings of Christ more closely. Help us to be a beacon of light in a world of darkness with heroic and supernatural charity, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

+ + +

(Carole Breslin home-schooled her four daughters and served as treasurer of the Michigan Catholic Home Educators for eight years. For over ten years, she was national coordinator for the Marian Catechists, founded by Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ.)

Vatican City, Feb 17, 2018 / 05:10 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Saturday the Vatican announced that Pope Francis has reconfirmed Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston as head of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, also reconfirming seven members…Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to the Trump administration’s 2019 federal budget proposal on Monday, the U.S. Catholic bishops are urging for a budget that shows greater concern for “‘the least of these” and warning that the U.S. “must never seek…Continue Reading

A Connecticut high school student may have to decide whether to remove a Planned Parenthood sticker on her laptop or leave her Catholic school after administrators told her to remove it, her parents said. Sophomore Kate Murray’s parents told the Greenwich Time that…Continue Reading

February 8, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – The Bible’s condemnation of homosexual acts should be taken in “context” with Biblical times, Jesuit Father James Martin toldGeorgetown University students recently. Martin said as well that Catholics who support gay “marriage” should have no problem…Continue Reading

JACKSON, Mississippi, February 2, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – A bill banning abortion on babies more than 15 weeks old passed the Mississippi state House today 79-31. House Bill 1510 would make Mississippi the state with the most pro-life laws if it…Continue Reading

Just three Democrats in the U.S. Senate supported a bill on Monday that would prohibit abortions after 20 weeks when unborn babies are capable of feeling pain. The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which has strong public support from Republicans…Continue Reading

ROME, January 30, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – In an exclusive interview two weeks after issuing a profession of immutable truths about sacramental marriage, Bishop Athanasius Schneider is inviting his brother bishops around the world to join in raising a common voice…Continue Reading

As Katholisch.de, the official website of the German bishops, reports today, Cardinal Willem Eijk, the Dutch cardinal and Metropolitan Archbishop of Utrecht, requested that Pope Francis bring light into the confusion concerning the question as to how to deal with…Continue Reading

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His Eminence, Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, spoke recently with Thinking with the Church, hosted by Chris Altieri, who is also a regular contributor to Catholic World Report. Cardinal Burke responds to questions regarding the interpretation and reception of the post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Amoris…Continue Reading

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By DON FIER (Editor’s Note: His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, Patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and Founder of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wis., graciously took time out of his busy schedule to grant The Wanderer a wide-ranging interview during a recent visit to the Shrine. Included among the topics…Continue Reading

By RAYMOND LEO CARDINAL BURKE (Editor’s Note: His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke delivered the address below at the 32nd Annual Church Teaches Forum, “The Message of Fatima: Peace for the World,” Galt House, Louisville, Ky., July 22, 2017. The address is reprinted here with the kind permission of Cardinal Burke. All rights reserved. This is part one of the…Continue Reading

Catechism

Today . . .

There’s nothing, it seems, that the abortion chain Planned Parenthood won’t sue over. On Thursday, affiliates of the abortion chain in seven states sued the Trump administration for cutting funding for their questionable teen pregnancy prevention programs. The Daily Nonpareil reports the lawsuits argue that the Trump administration wrongly cut their funding prematurely and without cause. Nine groups, including Planned Parenthood affiliates in Washington, Iowa, North Carolina, South C

CAMBRIDGE, England, February 15, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – A respected Catholic historian and philosopher challenged Cardinal Blase Cupich during a lecture last week about Pope’ Francis so-called “revolution of mercy” that has caused what many are defending as a “paradigm shift” in Catholic practice. Professor John Rist, after listening to a February 9 lecture at Cambridge Universityin which Cardinal Cupich praised Pope Francis’ “paradigm shift” in Catholic practice, asked the Cardinal at the end of the lect

VIENNA, Austria, February 14, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – Austria’s bishops, led by Vienna’s Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, are indignant over a retired bishop’s passionate defense of Catholic teaching in opposing Church “blessings” for homosexual unions. After Bishop Andreas Laun, the retired Auxiliary Bishop of Salzburg, Austria, published Monday his strong rebuke of the German bishops for proposing to bless homosexual couples, there has been an inten

Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago is all for clarity. It has been a consistent theme, as when in September of 2017 he issued a decree banning guns in all parishes, schools and other facilities across the archdiocese “so there would be absolute clarity on our position.” His official statement put “clarity” in italics. When he was bishop of Rapid City, he called for “civility and clarity” in discussing legislation that would limit abortion, but he…Continue Reading

BEIJING — A group of influential Catholics published an open letter Monday express their shock and disappointment at report that the Vatican could soon reach a deal with the Chinese government, warning that it could create a schism in the church in China. The Holy See has been in negotiations for several years with the Chinese Communist Party and is now belie

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Within a week of taking office on January 23, 2017, President Trump reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy, now called the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance, which bans U.S. funding for abortions overseas. The expanded policy prohibits $9 billion in U.S. taxpayer money from funding foreign organizations that perform or…Continue Reading

By HANNAH BROCKHAUS VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) — The Congregation for the Causes of Saints has approved the second miracle needed for the canonization of Blessed Pope Paul VI, allowing his canonization to take place, possibly later this year. According to Vatican Insider, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints approved the miracle by a…Continue Reading

By STEPHEN M. KRASON (Editor’s Note: Stephen M. Krason’s Neither Left nor Right, but Catholic column appears monthly [sometimes bimonthly] in Crisis. He is professor of political science and legal studies and associate director of the Veritas Center for Ethics in Public Life at Franciscan University of Steubenville. He is also cofounder and president of…Continue Reading

By LISA BOURNE (Editor’s Note: LifeSiteNews ran this story on February 5.) + + + A Catholic priest is calling on bishops to excommunicate the 14 Catholic-identifying U.S. senators who voted two weeks ago against banning late-term abortions. He is also calling on priests to deny the Catholic pro-abortion senators Holy Communion. “Today is the…Continue Reading

By JAMES LIKOUDIS The centuries-old theological debate concerning the existence of Limbo for unbaptized babies (the limbo puerorum as a state of natural happiness) led to the 2007 publication of the document The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized by the International Theological Commission (ITC). The commission concluded there are “serious…Continue Reading

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Our Catholic Faith (Section B of print edition)

By DON FIER For a variety of reasons (a defect of consent, a diriment impediment, or a defect of the required form), many supposed modern-day marriages entered into by Catholic persons are invalid from their origin in the eyes of God and the Church. However, as we saw last week, depending on the circumstances, the Church has procedures by which…Continue Reading

Q. Concerning what our Blessed Mother said in Fatima about the rosary, I am confused as to whether or not she meant us to meditate on the mysteries while we are praying the Hail Marys or whether she meant us to meditate on the mysteries right before we say the Hail Marys. The consensus seems to be that we are…Continue Reading

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Second Sunday Of Lent Readings: Gen. 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18 Romans 8:31b-34 Mark 9:2-10 In the first reading today we hear about Abraham’s nearly incomprehensible act of faith and love for God shown in his willingness to sacrifice his own son. We have to be careful not to read this in a vacuum. This test, which…Continue Reading

By ANDREA GAGLIARDUCCI (Wanderer Editor’s Note: Catholic News Agency on February 3 published a commentary concerning a 1989 Vatican response to dissent against Humanae Vitae. Below is an excerpted version of that commentary. Following that, we reprint the full text of the 1989 Vatican response, which, as the CNA commentary explains, is now available on the Vatican’s website. Please also…Continue Reading

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK A joke sometimes recounted among clergy goes along these lines: Someone greets a wise old priest by asking, “What’s new?”, and he responds, sagely, “Christ is risen!” The humor here is less about what’s new than about the fact that everything, other than the only true revolution of Christ’s Incarnation and triumph over death, is…Continue Reading

By CAROLE BRESLIN Great sinners make great saints. It takes a strong-willed child to become a saint. These are statements which would easily fit saints such as Mary Magdalene and St. Augustine. In the thirteenth century, a young lady free in spirit and strong in will led such a life that she was essentially driven from her home village, but…Continue Reading

By CAROLE BRESLIN In the lives of the saints one thing is very common: They have such a strong desire to do God’s will that nothing will hinder their work. Many saints, despite illness, weak health, or many other obstacles achieved their goals. Frequently the amount of work accomplished by such individuals seems humanly impossible — and, of course, it…Continue Reading